Chapter Text
He showed up in town about three months ago. It was unusually sunny that day, the regular, dreary fog that normally covered the town had lifted before noon.
It was still cold, though, so you bundled up as usual just before leaving the house. Beanie, a downy jacket, gloves, and your favorite scarf. A call from work let you know that a coworker was out sick that day, and they needed you to fill in as a cashier.
The snow in your driveway had melted enough, fooling you into believing you could walk comfortably to your car. Sike.
“Oh fuc-“
Your feet slid in opposite directions, daring you to do the splits, something you hadn’t done in years. Regaining your composure just at the last minute, you stayed still for a few moments.
You shook your head and scoffed, Please don’t be a shitty day, please.
The market was warm and bustled with a mixture of locals and tourists. Your line was steady, never seeming to let up. Most days, your mood was friendly and you enjoyed the banter with customers, but since it was unusually pleasant during that cold season, you felt some regret for being stuck at work.
“It’s a beautiful, bright day, isn’t it?” an older gentleman declared, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket.
You scrunched your nose, forcing the last smile in you.
“Yes, it’s really nice out.”
“Too bad you're cooped up here all day; we’re heading out to the lake for a picnic. Gotta take advantage of days like these,”
You placed his change down on the counter, nodding. ”Yes. Well, I hope you have a lovely day down by the lake.”
He shuffled along with his family, and without looking up, you instinctively grabbed the next items off the belt, scanning quickly: beep, beep.
A smooth voice filled your ears,
“Hello,”
“Hello there, how are you doing today?“
And there he was. Crystal blue eyes met yours for only a moment, flashing away as he pushed the rest of his items toward you.
“Fine, thank you.”
He didn’t ask how you were in return; his composure was a bit reserved.
Warmth spread across your chest, and you continued scanning his items. He stood in front of you, watching the cash register as the total was calculated for each item.
It’s impolite to stare, so you did your best to focus on ringing his items. How you missed him when he’d walked into the store, you’re not sure. The front door was so close to your station.
Seeing the total, he pulled his money out of an old, worn wallet and set it on the counter. Just as you were reaching, he reached forward too, realizing he’d given the wrong amount, and your hands collided.
“Uh, I’m sorry,” he stammered.
“No worries, please, I’m sorry,” you replied. The touch, ending as quickly as it began, flustered you.
He fumbled with his wallet trying to find the right amount, giving you the opportunity to study him. He was so tall, taller than anyone else in line. His jacket had some dark stains and the ball cap he wore covered most of his forehead. But it couldn’t hide his dark hair; long bangs hanging over his eyes, the length tied in a low knot at the nape of his neck.
Snapping out of your thoughts, you picked up his money and opened your registrar to collect his change. Your hands were erratic; fingers slipping each time you tried grabbing the coins. All the while, you could feel him watching your every move.
Finally, you gathered the correct change and managed to smile in his direction. He knitted his brows momentarily and grabbed the money.
“Thank you for coming in, have a great day,”
Giving you a quick nod, he grabbed his bags and headed for the exit. You snuck one last look at him as he walked out the creaking doors. Today wasn't very shitty, after all.
Unbeknownst to you, he sat in his truck for a moment contemplating the encounter at the register. He tried peering through the window of the small market, hoping to see a shadow of you inside, but the glare was too bright. He smirked to himself, thinking of how you fumbled with the cash drawer.
A cute interaction, yes. Something that lifted his glum mood, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. That’s as far as it should go, Aki. He chastised himself.
The engine of his truck roared and he backed out of the parking spot.
From that day forward, you waited for him to come in. He didn’t show up for another three days, and when he finally did, he’d chosen a different register to check out to your dismay. You snuck glances at him over your shoulder, watching as he bagged his groceries. He wore the cap backward that day with his bangs tucked inside, giving you a better look at his face. He was a pleasing man to look at; thin brows, deep-set eyes, with a prominent nose.
I wish he’d picked my line, why didn't he pick–
Just as he grabbed the last bag, he nodded at the cashier, then looked straight at you.
You were surprised by his look and before you could manage to wave or smile, he was already turning to the door.
Stop looking, Aki. He scolded himself again.
The weekend arrived the next evening and the nightlife in town was bustling. This meant the few, small bars in town would be packed with locals gossiping about each other. You hadn't gone out for fun in a while, preferring to stay home most nights, but something itched you to go.
That itch was the new stranger in town that you’d developed a full-blown crush on. The last you saw of him was yesterday and you couldn't stop thinking about it. Crushes are stupid, an easy way to waste time or fall into a delusional trap. But you couldn't deny feeling giddier lately, looking forward to any moment you could see him. A fun distraction.
Except you didn’t need a distraction; you had everything you needed in life now. You had a home of your own; small but just right for you. It was an old house and it felt daunting thinking of all the repairs it needed when you bought it a few years ago, but you’d surprised yourself with the things you accomplished so far.
Your hometown was filled with people you cared about; you had friends down the street that you could walk to for dinner. Your mother wasn’t far either, about 20 minutes outside of town near the river. You had a job that wasn’t exhausting mentally.
He wasn’t a distraction…you didn’t want to call him that. He was something new.
The night air chilled your nose, burning slightly as you walked down the sidewalk from work. Pulling the scarf closer to your face, you turned the corner and were greeted with the sound of boisterous laughter. The patio of the bar was filled with people, most of their faces familiar to you. A few smiled and waved for you to come over.
After successfully squeezing your way past snug bodies and getting yourself a tall beer, you decided the patio was best and less claustrophobic. A few acquaintances beckoned you to join their group circle.
“Look who decided to leave their cave!”
You rolled your eyes playfully at your neighbor, Tendo. The tall woman snickered while inhaling her cigarette deeply, her other hand gripping a beer bottle. She was friendly, and her sarcasm was thick but you knew she meant well. The group she ushered you into stood in a haphazard circle and she draped her arm across your shoulder while they introduced themselves. Tendo was the life of the party, you could say. Very charming and always knew how to keep the conversations going which made it easy for her to make friends with different types of people. When you bought your house, she’d eagerly insisted on helping unload your boxes from the moving truck. Since then, you had both become close friends.
In the midst of the kind but somewhat uninteresting chatter, your eyes wandered around the patio. The tables were full of people mingling and others standing near heat lamps trying to keep warm.
A certain jacket caught your eye and your heart skipped a beat at the sight. You lingered on it for a moment, hoping he’d turn so you could see his face. His back was to you, sitting across from a man you knew from the hardware store.
You took a sip of your beer while eyeing him intently. No one was paying attention to you anyway in this group; most were already three-four drinks deep and starting to talk a little too loudly. Tendo’s arm slipped off your shoulders as she wildly conversed with another.
He turned his head to the side to take a drag from his cigarette and as he did so, his hair fell across his face. He shook his head sharply to try and get the bangs out of his eyes, the smoke veiling his face. The act alone made your stomach churn with butterflies.
Get a grip.
Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been excited about someone, which is causing you to act like a school kid with a crush. It has been a couple of months since you last saw your “friend” from the next town over. The last night you saw him he’d promised about coming back up the next weekend, and he never did. You called his number twice, just to check on him but no luck. It stung to feel ghosted.
I’m funny and cute, so go talk to him. You tried to hype yourself up.
Your plan to get his attention comes to a stalling point because your nerves start to creep in. You know he looked at you on purpose the other day, but there was something about his demeanor that made you feel…uninvited. As if you needed to stay back and keep your distance. A few other men from the hardware store approached and stood by his table to chat.
You hugged yourself while cradling the glass to your mouth, observing. He had a cute smile; he didn’t grin widely but would smirk between comments from the other men. As you admired him, his face became distracted midst his conversation with the other fellow.
Then he turned directly toward you. The sudden look threw you off and you stood dumbly, again. This is what you get for being creepy, you thought.
He took another drag of his cigarette while staring and you managed to break free of the trance. Turning back to your group, you tried to mingle amongst the chatter in hopes it’d deter his attention.
“Hi, I’m Aki.”
His voice enveloped your ears so smoothly. You turned to face him and managed a smile, hoping to hide the shame of being caught.
“I think I’ve seen you at the market, down the street.”
He towered over everyone in the group. They snuck glances at him before sipping their drinks. You didn’t look at her, but you could feel Tendo’s mischievous eyes on you.
“I work at the market, yeah. I’ve seen you a couple of times. You new in town?”
His eyes were large and unwavering, even as he smiled politely and smoked his tobacco. It felt like he was witnessing all of your thoughts.
“Yeah, I haven’t been here for very long,” he replied.
“I see, what brings you here?”
He sucked in more of his smoke, shrugging while doing so. You pressed your lips into a thin line and nodded. Very compelling conversation.
“…will you be here for a while? Or are you passing through?” as you said the words you couldn’t help but laugh. He was really making it hard not to be nervous.
Aki leaned down to put the cigarette butt in an ashtray, “I’ll be here for a while. I don’t want to move again and I like the weather,” then shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
Your theory from earlier of feeling uninvited by him was still ringing true; he was withholding information. But here he is, striking up a conversation with you, making all the first moves. What is his deal?
“I’ve been here most of my life. I was born here. I can say that the weather is beautiful but it’s unforgiving,” you laughed. Aki smiled and nodded.
“I’m glad you’ll be staying,” the words spilled from your lips; laced with beer and uncontrollable infatuation. He raised his eyebrows at you.
“I mean—the town sees a lot of people come and go, and tourists. It’s nice when people stay. And actually…like the town for what it is.” you stammered. He nodded again while shuffling his feet.
“Yes, I think I’ll like it here.”
Aki glanced at your group cautiously before looking back at you. In your mind, you were chanting and begging that he wouldn't leave yet. Stay and have a drink with me, stay, stay, stay.
“I have an early start in the morning so I’m going to head out. I’ll see you at the market.”
You nodded quickly, trying to hide your disappointment as he left through the patio gate and walked into the darkened street.
You’re left standing amongst the drunken crowd with a mixture of embarrassment and happiness. He’ll see me at the market.